Before I begin documenting my journey, I should probably tell you a little about myself. Albeit this may be a little dull, but it is only for the reader's sake since my tale wouldn't make much sense otherwise.
I assume that most ponies reading this are familiar with the college. Yes, I know it carries some stereotypes and I'd be lying if I said they were all untrue, but I'm not the kind of mage you'd typically think of when you think about Winterhoof mages.
Restoration magic is a rare commodity even by college standards. It just so happens that I was the only pony interested in it when I enrolled there and needless to say, I got some pretty strange looks when I showed up. I couldn't really blame them. I was walking through the halls like a total dork with books spilling out of my saddlebag and me tripping over nearly every step. I'm surprised they didn't kick me out because they thought I had some sort of mental illness. What most ponies were staring at, though, was my cutie mark.
It's nothing special, really. It's just a restoration rune on my flank. Even though the only other pony I knew that had one similar to mine was my mother, it didn't make me feel all that special. A bunch of bandages, a medical bag, a syringe... Anything would've been better than a plain old restoration rune. Though, it does have a nice silver hue that I've always liked. If it were plain yellow, it'd be the worst.
Around the college, restoration magic wasn't really taken seriously, and I'm afraid to say that it still isn't today even after everything I've done. So, as you probably guessed, I was picked on a lot. I did have one teacher that helped teach me about it, but his knowledge of restoration was pretty limited and he mysteriously disappeared after he and some of his colleagues went on some excavation. Once he was gone, I was pretty much on my own. No mentors, no teachers. Most of my days were just spent going back and forth from studying for hours in the Arcanaeum and venturing around town to find little critters to test my spells on.
And before you get any ideas... No, I did not do any cruel experiments to them. That's the illusion class's job.
Even though I was picked on so much, I was always the first one they'd run to if one of the destruction magic classes went haywire. Now that I think about it, I actually had more practice healing destruction magic mishaps in the college than on the animals I mentioned earlier! Though after all was said and done, they'd still treat me like it was my first day in the college. I learned not to take any of it to heart mainly because I believed they really were thankful to have me there even though they never said it in words.
I suppose I got carried away. Thinking about those memories truly is blissful. Gods, I wish it would've just stayed that way forever...
Oh, I nearly forgot to introduce myself! I'm Moonflake. Now you know another reason why I was laughed at in the college for so long. When they stated calling me "loon fake" it began to get to me, but I have a feeling the archmage made them stop using that word in fear that it may have caused me to run away.
You wouldn't think that somepony with a restoration cutie mark would be named Moonflake, would you? If I were in your position, I'd think it fairly odd as well. I figured I'd get a name like my mom, Starmend. From what I can remember about the stories she used to tell me, when I was born, it was a beautiful cool spring night with a bright full moon. Mom had to have me outside since she was in the middle of traveling to Whinnyrun. I didn't really believe her when she told me, but Mom said that a few minutes after I was born, there was a single snowflake that seemed to fall down from the moon and land right on my forehead even though it hadn't snowed in months.
She told me it must have been a blessing from the divines, but I can't think why'd they want to gift me with anything since I was never really a religious pony to begin with. I mean sure, I've said a few prayers to the Fluttershy shrine in Winterhoof when I got stressed with my studies, but I never worshiped or did any ceremonies or anything. Anyways, that's what I got my name from.
Now that you know a little about me, hopefully you'll be as surprised as I was to learn that somepony wanted me dead.
This is what happened...
Author's Note
Big shoutout to infernap12, Projekt and Pizzaboi for their support on my patreon, as well as Holy Streak for his donation! If you want to help out as well, just click on this thingie right here! ---> I'm a thingy! <---
If there are any errors, please send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE and let me know so that I can fix them asap. Thanks for reading! <3
Chapter 1: Fall From Grace
It all started pretty normally, as cliché as that sounds. It was the dead of winter right after the new year and the weather was pretty nasty. Don't get me wrong. I love snow, but not when there's four feet of it outside. Thankfully, we were mages and the destruction class had quite a bit of fun throwing flames everywhere to melt it. I watched them from the Arcanaeum window on the second floor of the main building, hoping that the melted snow wouldn't turn into a thin sheen of ice later on.
It wasn't like me to let my thoughts drift off and stare out the window like that in the middle of my studies, especially when I was learning about the history of restoration magic. The dark sky brewing what looked like an upcoming snowstorm was probably the cause of that; dreary weather always made me sleepy and unfocused.
"Did you find the date yet? I've looked everywhere in the restoration section, but it evades me still."
My teacher, or... Mentor, rather... Approached my side with a worried look. His sudden voice caused my half-awake body to jolt from surprise. Aldor was his name. I'd known him since I first arrived at the college when I was eleven, and even after eight years, he was still the same soft and gentle old stallion that I remembered. Maybe it was because I saw him every day, but I could've sworn he never seemed to age a day even after that long period of time. He was like a father to me; he even taught me good manners and how to behave like a proper young mare until... Well, I suppose he still did that from time to time.
I quickly looked back in my book, embarrassed that I'd been caught daydreaming. Though, as my memory came back, I couldn't remember seeing anything about the discovery date of necromantic healing spells.
"N- No, sir... There's mention of necromantic healing spells in this one, but it doesn't go into much detail... You wouldn't suppose Archmage Dreifus would have something in his collection...?"
Aldor sat down in another chair facing the window, sighing in defeat and staring out the window. A bit of frustration was also laced in his expression.
"Perhaps, but you know how protective he is of his library. In all my years teaching here, he's only lent me one single book. One... And that was for a single day. He kept bothering me about returning it the whole time, even while I was in the middle of reading it." He shook his head. "No, I don't believe Archmage Dreifus will be of any help."
Necromantic healing wasn't really a form of restoration that I was particularly interested in. In fact, it was probably the only subject within restoration that I wasn't interested in strictly because it dealt with necromancy. I didn't feel the dull tinge of defeat that I always felt when my studying hit a stone wall because I figured that the archmage would be against anything having to deal with necromancy, anyway.
"No matter. If it isn't here, then it isn't here. Besides, necromancy is such a nasty business, I'm not even sure why they put it in your curriculum."
He leaned in and placed a hoof on mine on the table, snapping me out of the thought as I resumed eye-contact with him. He had his gentle smile on after he vented a bit, and it always made me feel a little better about things.
"Don't fret. You've done much work today, Moonflake. Why don't you head on down and get some rest? Your eyes do look weary." He spoke lower and softer in his slightly raspy old-stallion voice that always gave me comfort.
"Yes, Aldor... I suppose you're right..." I stretched my legs as I rose from my chair, feeling my joints crack from sitting down for too long.
Aldor did the same, though it took him a little longer to get up than I. Remember that part where I said he looked as if he hadn't aged a day? Well, that only applied to his physical appearance. His energy levels and strength were slowly fading and it had become especially obvious as of late.
"Same time tomorrow, I suppose?" I turned to start putting my books back in my saddlebag.
"Actually, we might have a snow storm come through here tonight, so I think not. Dreifus always shuts down the damned college every time a simple flurry comes along... I don't know how he expects us to get any work done... Use the time to study that new tome I lent you and... Moonflake?" His tone lightened up a bit as I started to feel my bed calling for me. "Please don't practice any of it on fellow students this time? I know they get hurt from time to time, but even the weakest healing spells-"
"Can cause a death if not cast carefully... I know, Aldor." He had drilled the principle into my head nearly every day for the past eight years; it was like scripture to me at that point. I gave him a half hug with one of my legs; we were practically family at that point, I knew he wouldn't mind the slight affection.
"Until next time, Moonflake." His head bowed slightly and I returned it with a smile before walking past him and down the stairs towards the courtyard.
My head was spinning from studying all day; I couldn't think about anything for more than ten seconds before my mind wandered off and made some sort of strange connection to restoration magic. I thought of going to bed and how amazing sleep was, and then my head started to bombard me with questions like: "What if I learned a sleep spell? I wonder if the archmage uses things like that to help him focus during the day?" It was like that the whole way back to my dorm. It wasn't like I usually thought like that, though.
Stone.
The only decoration we had at our dorms was stone walls. Everywhere. The ceilings were stone, the walls were stone... Even the floors were stone. Granted, they were smoothed stone, but stone nonetheless. If it weren't for a mana well in the middle of the two-floor circular dorm room with our bedrooms all around the exterior and the random spell tomes scattered about, it would've felt like a prison. It was probably the most boring interior design I'd ever seen in my life, but it was still home.
I closed the door behind me quietly and went straight for my room which was the first one to the left of the stairs. Another thing I hated about our dorms was that there were no doors to our rooms, just stone entryways with four feet of space inside on either side that I used to hide behind to do things I didn't want others to see. Other students have tried to make curtains or makeshift doors for their rooms, but they've all been pulled down.
So, yeah. I guess you could say privacy wasn't the archmage's main concern when he designed the dorms. I guess he was just being paranoid that we'd be having sex and practicing dark magic behind them otherwise.
There weren't that many things in my room besides my bed and the smallish bookshelf on my right that held all of my past restoration materials that I've studied over the years. There was a simple nightstand with a cabinet inside that I stored... Well, to be honest, I didn't use that all too often. On top of it were a couple of candles that didn't do much to light the room since the mana well in the middle of the dorm took care of most of the lighting. Still, they helped me read in bed and their scent helped cover any odors that drifted from the other student’s dorm rooms. The pine scent they were imbued with came from Aldor himself; he took up candle making as a side hobby over the last few years and I must admit that he had started to master it already. It had gotten to the point where I refused to use any other candle not made by him.
I set my saddlebag down on the chair in the corner of the room, its rightful place, and didn't waste any time before flopping down on my bed and letting out an exhale of relief. I was glad the beds weren't made of stone, too. I was lucky; some dorm rooms of other colleges had stone beds with just sheets on top of them.
Even though ponies were coming in and out through the main door and I could hear the destruction flame spells going off in the courtyard just outside, I managed to slip off into sleep without even getting under the covers first.
Most ponies dream when they slept, but I wouldn't quite classify what I had as a dream. I swear, even to this day, it was some sort of warning that I wasn't sharp enough to realize at first.
I didn't see anything and I didn't hear anything. All I felt was something sharp poking against my back at first. It made my back arch a little in my sleep from the perceived pain. It just kept pushing and pushing against my back until I felt the white hot sting travel through my flesh right beside my spine and into my chest cavity. All the breath I was holding in released at that moment, and then I woke up.
Yeah, it was pretty crazy.
"What the heck was that...?" I said as I stirred out of bed, holding my head and groaning. I hardly felt like I got any rest at all.
I reached behind my back to feel if maybe I rolled over something in my sleep to make myself have that "dream", but as I felt around, there was nothing there. No sensitivity or wounds at all.
The concept of being stabbed in the back flew through my mind at that moment, but I didn't quite take it as seriously as I should have. Back then, I couldn't really blame myself for thinking the way I did. So carefree, so innocent... I was too pure to expect such things to happen...
Oops! I apologize for getting ahead of myself.
I had to get up and walk over to the study table room that was yet another cutout of the circular room I was in so that I could tell what time it was. There weren't any windows in my room and even if there were, they'd probably just be looking out into, you guessed it: more stone.
My legs creaked like rusty machine parts coming alive. Or at least, they felt like that. My joints cracked and I eventually walked out to check.
Already, I could tell it was late. Three or four students were already in their bed sleeping with their candles out, and recognizing who they were by which room they were in, they weren't the usual type to fall asleep early.
I turned the corner and peeked into the study room and saw only blackness outside of it. I sighed and closed my eyes.
"Figures..."
How in the world did I sleep for more than four hours when that "dream" only seemed to last a few seconds?
"You alright there, lass?"
I didn't even know he was there until he spoke. He was completely blended into the shadows, sitting on the bench underneath the window I was looking into. It nearly made me jump, but my drowsy state made it so that I didn't overreact.
"Oh! I..." I stepped back a little bit to be polite. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you..."
"Gods, you almost had me convinced you had a sickness of the mind for a moment." He made it known very quickly that he wasn't the kindest of ponies... I just blew it off and tried to make out his features in the darkness. The only reason I could tell he was a stallion was because of his scruffy voice. Though, he seemed by his tone that he was enjoying my presence by some degree.
He definitely wasn't from the college; that was for sure. Something about him was just... Off.
"I'm sorry, but... Who are you? I don't remember seeing you before, so..." I tried being friendly and stepping forward slightly, but he didn't like that one bit.
"Shouldn't you be asleep, lass? It's pretty late." He didn't say it like it was a suggestion; he said it like it was an order. I still couldn't make out his face at all.
"Oh... Okay, I- I'm sorry..." I apologized clumsily for the third time and backed off, leaving him be. He didn't say another word but I could feel his eyes watching me every second until I turned the corner to return to my bed. I even felt slightly embarrassed because for all I knew, he was checking out my plot.
I hated not having a door to my room. Truly, I hated it. I wanted to close my room up and put three locks on it to keep that creep out.
I pulled the covers up to my nose and kept an eye on the opening for nearly a half hour before mustering the courage to finally close them.
The soothing sound of the mana well whirring was probably the only reason I was able to go back to sleep. I swear the archmage imbues it with slumberscent after a certain time to help us sleep, but then why didn't that stallion in the dark seem affected by it? I didn't know.
That's when it happened. I can only describe it in so many words because it took place so quickly, too fast for me to fully comprehend what was going on. A slight disturbance in the air next to me and an almost silent hoof touching the stone floor made me jolt my eyes open to see the dark figure leaning over my helpless body. I didn't even have time to scream before a flash of red light nearly blinded me and took all feeling from my body in one instant. The second it made contact with my forehead, everything went black.
I had only been unconscious a hooffull of times, other than just being asleep, but that time was even stranger. It was like I could feel my body walking along a cobblestone road and even talking to ponies, but I couldn't see or feel anything else. My head was swimming so much that I couldn't control what little my body could do at the moment.
If I had a second more, I would've had a ward up so it didn't happen, but... Geez, I just can't help but blame myself for it. I should've done something when I saw that guy in the shadows, but I was just... Nevermind.
After an indeterminate period of swimming in darkness, I woke up and felt like I needed to vomit my entire stomach out as my eyes stung from the bright blinding sun shining through tall pine trees. It didn't take me long to perceive that I wasn't in the same place I was before. No, it was completely different. It was warm, which was not something I had felt in a while. Not only that, but I could feel crisp grass beneath me as I lay on my side. It had to be dozens of miles away from Winterhoof because only the most southern parts of Skyquestria felt that warm during winter.
Even though I felt relieved that I was still alive (the only reason I knew I was alive was because I could feel sore pains all around my joints), it didn't help the feeling of panic that was overwhelming me.
My hooves were bound together by ropes that stung because they were so tight and when I tried to yell for help, nothing came out. That's when I noticed I had another thick damp rope tied against my muzzle.
Normally, I would've just tried to meander my way around it and use some sort of spell to free myself. In fact, I was already starting to use a weak fire spell to do just that. I knew it would hurt since the rope was so close to my fur, but I didn't care at the time. I could deal with the pain as long as it meant being free of those stubborn ropes. If I had a few more seconds to think clearly about it, I would've tried to unravel them with my telekineses magic. But, when my vision started to focus and I began to take in my surroundings, I realized that it wouldn't have mattered either way.
Because, standing on all fours approximately twenty feet from me was the biggest brown Sabre Cat I had ever seen. It began circling around me and bearing its fangs as it decided how it wanted to devour me. It's two fangs were almost as long as swords and given my limited knowledge on them, I figured they were as sharp as swords, too.
At that moment, I actually wished that stallion in black would've slit my throat when he had the chance.
Author's Note
Big shoutout to infernap12, Projekt and Pizzaboi for their support on my patreon, as well as Holy Streak for his donation! If you want to help out as well, just click on this thingie right here! ---> I'm a thingy! <---
I apologize for the relatively short upload after such a long wait period, I had to take a break from writing for a few days while I focused on more important things. Sorry! 
If there are any errors, please send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE and let me know so that I can fix them asap. Thanks for reading! <3
